![]() The dark lines on a Mackerel tabby's cheek Classic (blotched) tabby The four known distinct patterns, each having a sound genetic explanation, are the mackerel, classic, ticked, and spotted tabby patterns. The notion that tabby indicates a female cat may be due to the feminine proper name Tabby as a nickname of " Tabitha". Use of the term tabby cat for a cat with a striped coat began in the 1690s and was shortened to tabby in 1774. Tabby is also comparable to the Spanish word ataviar, which means "to decorate or to dress or wear" and often implies luxurious clothing. Such silk cloth became popular in the Muslim world and spread to England, where the word "tabby" became commonly used in the 17th and 18th centuries. This word is a reference to the Attabiya district of Baghdad, noted for its striped cloth and silk itself named after the Umayyad Governor of Mecca Attab ibn Asid. The English term tabby originally referred to "striped silk taffeta," from the French word tabis, meaning "a rich watered silk." This can be further traced to the Middle French atabis (14th century), which stemmed from the Arabic term عتابية / ʿattābiyya. One genetic study of domestic cats found at least five founders. The tabby pattern occurs naturally and is connected both to the coat of the domestic cat's direct ancestor and to those of their close relatives: the African wildcat ( Felis lybica lybica), the European wildcat ( Felis silvestris) and the Asiatic wildcat ( Felis lybica ornata), all of which have similar coats, both by pattern and coloration. The tabby pattern is found in many official cat breeds and is a hallmark of the landrace extremely common among the general population of cats around the world. "Tabby" is not a breed of cat, but a coat type seen in almost all genetic lines of domestic cats, regardless of breed. It is thought that the tabby pattern originates from the numerous related species of wildcat.Ī tabby is any domestic cat ( Felis catus) with a distinctive 'M'-shaped marking on its forehead stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail and (differing by tabby type), characteristic striped, dotted, lined, flecked, banded, or swirled patterns on the body-neck, shoulders, sides, flanks, chest, and abdomen. Scientific American, 237(5), 100-107.A European wildcat ( Felis silvestris) bearing a similar coat pattern to that of a tabby cat. Is it true that most ginger cats are male? BBC Science Focus Magazine. September 1 is Ginger Cat Appreciation DayĬelebrate the orange tabby in your life on September 1 each year which is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day. The presence of significant populations of orange cats in the area can be traced back to the arrival of vikings. As vikings traveled across the North Atlantic, they would selectively bring orange tabbies on the ships for rodent control (Todd, 1977). A best selling book was written about Dewey. Local residents and library visitors began to notice Dewey and would stop by just to see the friendly cat. The orange cat was named in honor of the decimal system used to classify books in libraries. ![]() Vicki Myron saw the little kitten huddling for warmth in the library’s night drop box and took him in. Dewey was abandoned in Spencer in the 1980s, at the height of a financial crisis that had decimated the town and its neighboring areas. After Churchill’s death, the family requested that an orange cat always remain in residence at Chartwell, which has been managed by the National Trust since 1966.ĭewey Readmore Books was an Illinois library cat from the little town of Spencer. The cat, named Jock, became a favorite pet. Winston Churchill was gifted an orange cat on his 88th birthday in November 1962. In the Harry Potter series, there is also a ginger cat named Crookshanks who belongs to the character Hermione Granger. The most famous orange cat is probably Garfield, the lasagna-loving cat featured in a comic strip developed by Jim Davis. ![]() Orange coats can be found in several breeds including Maine Coons. What Types of Breeds Produce Orange Tabbies? Lentigo on the mouth of a yawning orange tabby.
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